Billet manipulating apparatus

ABSTRACT

A billet manipulating apparatus for the selective presentation of a billet to the operative grinding surface of a grinding wheel. An assembly of three billet-engaging arms functions to remove the billet to be ground from a charge table and position it in any one of a number of grinding positions, one arm effecting transfer of the billet from the table to the other two arms which then function to rotate or tumble the billet until the desired side or edge to be ground is presented to the associated grinding wheel.

United States Patent 1191 Stratton et al.

[ 1 Apr. 10, 1973 [54] BILLET MANIPULATING APPARATUS [75] Inventors: Robert R. Stratton, Charlotte, NC;

Robert J. Kaszuba, Chicago, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Pettibone Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

[22 Filed: July 22, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 165,267

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of'Ser. No. 868,998, Oct. 24, 1969, Pat. No.

52 us. (:1. ..214/1 QG 51 1111. C1..-. ..B65g 7/00 [58] Field of Search ..198/33 AC, 33 AD; 214/1 Q, 1 Q6, 1 P, 1 PB, 1 QA [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,472,397 10/1969 Rhoads ..214/1QG 3,515,289 6/1970 Schallgr et a1. ..214/1 Q FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,420,465 11/1965 France ..214/1 P Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant ExaminerFrank E. Werner Attorney-Norman H. Gerlach 1 ABSTRACT A billet manipulating apparatus for the selective presentation of a billet to the operative grinding surface of a grinding wheel. An assembly of three billetengaging arms functions to remove the billet to be ground from a charge table and position it in any one of a number of grinding positions, one arm effecting transfer of the billet from the table to the other two arms which then function to rotate or tumble the billet until the desired side or edge to be ground is presented to the associated grinding wheel.

2 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEUMR 1 0191s SHEET 2 UF 2 INVENTORS ROBERT R. STRATTON ROBERT J. KASZUBA Affy.

BILLET MANIPULATING APPARATUS This application for U.S. Letters Patent is a division of our copending patent application Ser. No. 868,998, filed on Oct. 24, 1969 and entitled BILLET I-IAN- DLING APPARATUS (now U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,263, granted on Aug. 24, 1971).

The present invention relates generally to a billet handling or manipulating apparatus which is especially adapted for use in a steel mill and by means of which elongated steel billets which are square in transverse cross section and have been examined for surface defects and marked accordingly for visual grinding in order to remove scale, cracks, and the like, are withdrawn, one at a time, from a charge table and are then manipulated so as to position each billet in clamped relationship for proper presentation to a grinding wheel so that the wheel will operate upon the particular side of the billet which it is desired to grind.

More specifically, the invention is concerned with a manipulating unit which together with similar units along the discharge edge of a billet charge table serve to withdraw the billets, one at a time, from the charge table for billet-manipulating purposes, and then, by a rotational tumbling operation, orient each billet as it is received for presentation of a selected side thereof to the associated grinding wheel. Such a charge table, in its operative relationship with respect to a series of the present manipulating units, is shown and described in our aforementioned copending patent application Ser. No. 868,988.

The manner in which raw billets are examined for surface defects, are marked for visual spotting of the defects at a grinding station, are loaded upon the charge table for conduction one at a time to the manipulating units, are successively withdrawn from the table, are conducted to the grinding station, and are then manipulated at the grinding station for proper presentation to the grinding wheel, is fully disclosed in said U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,263 and reference may be had thereto for a full understanding of these functions. The present divisional patent application is concerned sole ly with the nature of the manipulating units per se and the manner in which they cooperate with both the v discharge end of the charge table and the grinding wheel to lift off the billets and receive them for manipulating purposes.

Briefly, the manipulating unit of the present invention is necessarily employed in connection with at least one other substantially identical unit, the number of units employed being dependent upon the length of the billets undergoing handling or manipulation. The unit embodies a work-supporting casing which is provided with various fixed horizontal and sloping work-supporting surfaces and these surfaces cooperate with other work-supporting surfaces on a pair of pivoted billetmanipulating arms, the latter surfaces being capable of relative movement with respect to each other, as well as with respect to the fixed surfaces on the casing whereby a billet can be transferred from one surface to another either by a sliding motion, a tumbling motion, or a combination of such motions, and then returned to a previous work-supporting surface with a fresh upper surface on the billet being presented for grinding. A third arm having a billet-engaging surface thereon constitutes a component part of the manipulating unit and its function is solely one of transferring a billet from the discharge edge region of the charge table to the two cooperating billet-manipulating arms in a predetermined position of orientation whereby succeeding manipulations of said two billet-manipulating arms will effect a definite sequence of billet rotating or tumbling procedures by means of which the billet may be rotated through an angle of 45 where a corner or edge of the billet is to be presented to the associated grinding wheel, or an angle of where a side of the billet'is to be so presented.

The provision of a billet manipulating unit such as has been briefly outlined above constitutes the principal object of the present invention. Other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this time enumerated, will readily suggest themselves as the following detailed description ensues.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter described and are more particularly defined by the claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings forming a part of this specification, one illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown.

In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a complete billet handling apparatus, such view showing a plurality of the manipulating units of the present invention operatively disposed with respect to a charge table for receiving billets therefrom, conducting them to a grinding station in various positions of orientation, returning them to their billet-receivingposition, and finally discharging the conditioned billets onto a discharge table;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, largely schematic in its representation, of the principal functional parts of one of the manipulating units of FIG. 1, such view showing the unit in its normal position preparatory to withdrawing a billet from the charge table;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational schematic view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating the operation of the unit in withdrawing a billet from the charge table and receiving the same for manipulating purposes;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational schematic view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 but illustrating the operation of the unit in raising a billet into a grinding position for proper cooperation with a grinding wheel at the grinding station;

FIGS. 5 to 8, inclusive, are side elevational views similar to FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, illustrating schematically the manner in which the manipulating unit releases the billet from the grinding position of FIG. 4 and then manipulates the same throughout an angle of 90 and presents the same to the grinding wheel for grinding of a different billet side; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view similar to FIGS. 2 to 8, inclusive, illustrating the manner in which a completely conditioned billet is discharged from the manipulating unit.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1 wherein the billet handling apparatus 10 which is illustrated therein constitutes an exemplary environment for a plurality of substantially identical billet manipulating units 12 which constitute the subject matter of the present divisional patent application. The billet handling apparatus 10 is designed specifically for use in a steel mill and serves to conduct steel billets B of square cross section from an examining station where the billets are carefully examined for defects such, for

example, as surface cracks, scale, high spots and the like, to a grinding station where the billets are treated to remove the defects, after which they are conducted to a discharge region where they may be deposited on a discharge conveyor. The nature and operation of the billet handling apparatus is fully illustrated and described in aforementioned US. Pat. No. 3,601,263 and reference may be had to such patent for a full understanding of the apparatus. It is deemed sufficient for descriptive purposes herein to outline the character and functioning of such apparatus in a brief manner and, thereafter, specifically to describe the nature of the manipulating units 12 which constitute the subject matter of the present-divisional application as heretofore mentioned.

Briefly, the billet handling apparatus 10 involves in its general organization a charge table 11 which is designated by the bracket 14 at the right-hand side of FIG. 1. The billets B are placed on the receiving end of the charge table by power-actuated lift and transfer devices 16 which place the billets successively and one at a time on a plurality of wear rails 18 where they are impelled forwards by means of a series of power-actuated thrust devices 20. Each billet which is received on the rails 18 pushes forwards the billet ahead of it, thus progressively building up a horizontal stack of the billets on the charge table. After a predetermined number of billets B have been thus stacked on the charge table 11, the entire stack is pushed forwards beneath a plurality of chain conveyors 22 which functionto shift the stack periodically still further forwardly so that the leading billet in the stack falls by gravity into a charge table notch 24 where it remains until the grinding machine operator signals for deposition of such billet onto a travelling manipulating car 26, the latter being located at a transfer station and having associated therewith the aforementioned'plurality of manipulating units 12. The manipulating car 26 travels laterally of the charge table 11 and conducts the billet which is placed thereon to a grinding machine 28 for presentation to agrindin'g wheel 30in various selected positions of billet orientation. At any time after a billet B has been transferred from the charge table slot 24 to the manipulating car 26, either immediately after the transfer has been effected, or after the billet has arrived at the grinding station, or during its travel toward such station, the manipulating units 12 may be operated to tumble or otherwise orient the billet being processed or worked on for presentation of selected sides of the bi]- let to the grinding wheel 30. The manner in which the billets are withdrawn from the charge table notch 24 and then transferred to the manipulating units 12, and the manner in which the billets are tumbled or otherwise oriented by such units for grinding purposes constitutes the subject matter of the present invention.

After a given billet has been treated or processed at the grinding station, the manipulating car 26 returns the billet to the transfer station and the manipulating units 12 then effect discharge of such billet onto a discharge table 32 where thrust devices 34 and chain conveyors 36, similar to the thrust devices and the Although the various manipulating units 12 of the present invention are shown in a charge table environment and are operatively installed upon a manipulating car 26 which travels laterally to and from a grinding station, it is to be distinctly understood that two or more of these units may be arranged in spaced relationship and in a fixed position for reception of billets from a charge table and in association with a grinding wheel which traverses the billets in grinding relationship. Stated otherwise, the manipulating units 12 may occupy a fixed position at a location which constitutes both a receiving or transfer station and a grinding station, as well as a final discharge station.

Considering now the nature of one of the manipulating units 12 per se, and considering only its relationship to the charge table such as the charge table 11 of the billet handling apparatus 10, it is to be noted that the notch 24 at the front of said charge table is in the form ofja series of troughs which are formed at the forward ends of the various wear rails 18 so that the notch referred to herein is actually a composite notch embodying all of the troughs. Each manipulating unit 12 is provided with a manipulator body or casing 40, the latter including a bottom wall 42 (see FIG. 2), a front wall 44, and a pair of spaced apart side walls 46 and 48, and being of narrow box-like design. The two side walls 46 and 48 are provided with notches in the upper regions thereof, the two notches constituting, in effect, a billet-receiving slot 50. The various casing walls together define a relatively deep pocket 52. Disposed within the pocket 52 between the side walls 46 and 48 is a pair of billet manipulating arms including a billetsupporting arm 54 and a billet-clamping and eject arm 56. A third billet transfer arm 58 is disposed exteriorly of the pocket 52 as well as the casing 40. The billet-supporting arm 54 is mounted for swinging movement about the axis of a horizontal pin 60 which extends across the pocket and has its opposite ends anchored in the side walls 46 and 48, while the clamping and eject arm 56 is similarly mounted for swinging movement about a horizontal pin 62 which likewise extends across the pocket 52. The billet transfer arm 58 is also mounted for swinging movement about the pin 62.

The distal end of the billet-supporting arm .54 is provided with a hook-like protuberance 64, while the distal end of the billet-clamping and eject arm 56 is provided with a pointed billet-engaging prong 65. The distal end of the billet transfer arm is provided with a hook-like protuberance 66 which is similar to' the protuberance 64 on the billet-supporting arm 54. Said arm 54 has formed therein a longitudinal slot 68 (see FIG. 1) through which the clamping and eject arm 56 projects when the latter arm is raised to its billet-clamping position, as well as when it is in its ejecting position.

Thetwo manipulating arms, i.e., the billet-supporting arm 54 and the billet-clamping and eject arm 56, are operable under the control of respective cylinder and plunger devices 70 and 72. The billet transfer arm 58 is operable under the control of a cylinder and plunger device 74. The cylinder and plunger devices 70 and 72 are both disposed within the pocket 52 while the cylinder and plunger device 74 is disposed outside of the pocket and alongside the side wall 46 of the casing In the normal position of the manipulating unit 12, I

the billet transfer arm 58 extends substantially horizontally as shown in FIG. 2 and underlies a billet B which is disposed in the charge table notch 24 as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. Transfer of the billet from the notch 24 to the billet-receiving slot 50 in the upper region of the manipulator casing 40 is effected by supplying fluid under pressure to the cylinder and plunger device 74 in such a manner as to cause the billet transfer arm 58 to swing upwardly in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 so as to raise the billet B from the charge table notch 24 and deposit the same in the billet-receiving slot 50 in said upper region of the manipulator casing 40 where it slides downwardly on the upwardly facing surface 76 of said slot 50 until it comes to rest against the surface 78 of the slot and assumes the position in which it is shown in FIG. 3. The billet slides from its raised dotted-line position, through the broken-line position to the full-line position wherein it is seated in the bottom of the slot 50 with an upper comer a of the billet projecting upwardly. The billet B thus assumes a stable position in the slot 50 and it is, therefore,

properly positioned for cooperation. with the grinding wheel 30 for abrasion of the corner a of the billet B, assuming, of course, that the manipulating unit 12 and the grinding wheel 30 are brought into operative grinding register. It is not necessary that the billet transfer arm 58 be associated with a charge table like the charge table which is shown in FIG. 1. For example, it is contemplated that such billet transfer arm may be used as a billet holding arm so as to hold a billet as a preliminary to its placement in the slot 50.

If it is desired initially to operate upon the side surface of the billet labelled b, the cylinder and plunger devices 70 and 72 will be actuated in unison so that the billet-supporting arm 54 will swing upwardly to a substantially horizontal position and lift the billet B from the bottom of the slot 50 and place it in the raised position in which it is illustrated in FIG. 4, while simultaneously the billet-clamping and ejecting arm 56 will swing forwardly against one side of the billet and clamp it securely against the hook-like protuberance 64 of the billet-supporting arm 54. With the billet B in this position, it issecurely held in proper grindingrelationship forcooperation of the grinding wheel 30 with the billet side surface labelled b.

In order to shift the position of the billet B from the position wherein it is shown in FIG. 4 to the position wherein it is shown in FIG. 8 with the billet side surface labelled d presented upwardly for grinding purposes, the sequence of steps illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8, inclusive, is resorted to. First, the operator will cause the cylinder and plunger device 72 to be retracted in order to withdraw the billet-clamping and eject arm 56 from the billet B, thus causing the parts to assume the positions in which they are shown in FIG. 5. Thereafter, the operator will cause retraction of the cylinder and plunger device 70 so that the billet-supporting arm 54 will become lowered. Upon such lowering of the arm 54, one corner edge of the billet B will bear against a pair of flats 80 which are formed on the upper edges of the casing side walls 46 and 48, whereupon the billet B will tumble into the slot 50 and assume the position in which it is shown in FIG. 6 with the comer edge c thereof presented upwardly. In this position, the billet B is in proper position for grinding the corner c. However, the position of the billet B illustrated in FIG. 6 is an intermediate position in the sequence of steps which take place in shifting the billet B from the position of FIG. 4 to the position of FIG. 8.

It is to be noted that the position of the parts shown in FIG.6 is substantially the same as the position of the parts shown in FIG. 3, the only difference being that the billet B has been rotated through an angle of 90 in moving from the position of FIG. 3 to the position of FIG. 6. It, therefore, follows that by performing the previously described sequential operation of the cylinder and plunger devices and 72, the billet B will be raised and clamped in the position in which it is shown in FIG. 8, but with the side d presented to the grinding wheel 40. The position of the billet-clamping and eject arm 56 in FIG. 7 is substantially the same as the position thereof in FIG. 5, and it represents an intermediate position wherein the billet B bears against the protuberance 64 on the billet-supporting arm 54 preparatory to movement of the billet-clamping and eject arm 56 into position against the billet and in clamping relationship with the protuberance 64 as shown in FIG. 8.

A repetition of the various sequential steps set forth above may be twice effected in order to complete grinding of the remaining corners and sides of the billet B, the billet tumbling in a counterclockwise direction each time a positional change is effected.

After all of the surfaces and corner edges of the billet B have been treated in the manner indicated above, the billet may be ejected from the manipulating unit 12 by allowing the cylinder and plunger device 70 to be retracted in order to lower the billet-supporting arm 54 to the position wherein it is shown in FIG. 9, while at the same time fluid will be supplied to the cylinder and plunger device 72 in order to swing the billet-clamping and eject arm 56 upwardly through the slot 68 in the billet-supporting arm 54 and forcibly push the billet B over the flats on the upper edges of the casing side walls 46 and 48 and onto the discharge table 32.

The invention-is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, only insofar as the invention is particularly pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to be limited.

Having thus described the invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by letters patent is:

1. A billet-manipulating unit adapted, in combination with similar units, to remove the leading billet from a horizontal stack of elongated billets which advance progressively across a charge table and are generally square in cross section in order to impart progressive increments of rotational movement to said leading billet for selective presentation of the sides of the billet to a grinding wheel positioned above the unit, said unit comprising a casing having a pair of spaced apart side walls defining therebetween a relatively deep narrow pocket, the upper edges of said side walls being notched to provide a billet-receiving slot, a normally horizontal linearly straight billet transfer arm disposed exteriorly of the casing, having its proximate end pivoted for swinging movement to one of said side walls of the casing and normally underlying said leading billet in the stack, a linearly straight billet-supporting arm having a longitudinally extending slot therein, disposed within said casing and pivoted at its proximate end to the casing at a region adjacent to the upper portion of said billet-receiving slot for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, and a linearly straight biilet-clamping and eject arm disposed within said casing and pivoted at its proximate end to the casing at a region below the lower-portion of said billet-receiving slot for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, said last-mentioned arm projecting through the slot in the billet-supporting arm, said transfer arm being operable when actuated to engage and raise said leading billet from the charge table and, by a sliding action, to deposit the same in said billet-receiving slot, said billet-supporting arm being provided with a protuberance at its distal end and being operable when actuated to engage and raise the billet from said billet-receiving slot and move the same into a grinding position above the level of said slot, said billet-clamping and eject arm being operable when actuated to engage the thus raised billet and, in combination with said billet-supporting arm, to clamp the billet against said protuberance in an effective grinding position, said billet-clamping and eject arm being effective, when the billet-supporting arm is restored to its normal position, to engage the billet which has been raised above the level of the billet-receiving slot and to discharge the samefrom the manipulating unit, and means for selectively actuating said billet transfer arm, said billet-supporting arm and said billet-clamping and eject arm, said means comprising a cylinder and plunger device for each arm, each device having one end pivotally connected to its respective arm at a point medially of its ends and having its other end pivoted to the casing at a point below the level of said billetreceiving slot.

2. A billet-manipulating unit adapted, in combination with similar units, to impart progressive increments of rotational movement to a billet of generally square cross section for selective presentation of the sides of the billet to a grinding wheel positioned above the unit, said unit comprising a casing having a pair 'of spaced apart side walls defining therebetween a relatively deep narrow pocket, the upper edges of said side walls being notched to provide a billet-receiving slot, a linearly straight billet-supporting arm having a longitudinally extending slot therein, disposed within said casing and pivoted at its proximate end to the casing at a region adjacent to the upper portion of said slot for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, and a linearly straight billet-clamping and eject arm disposed within the casing and pivoted at its proximate end to the casing at a region adjacent to the lower position of the slot for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, said last-mentioned arm projecting through the slot in the billet-supporting arm, said billet-supporting arm being provided with a protuberance at its distal end and being operable when actuated to engage and raise a billet which has been placed in said billet-receiving slot to a grinding position above the level of said slot, said billet-clamping and eject arm being operable when actuated to engage the thus raised billet and, in combination with said billet-supporting arm, to clamp the billet against said protuberance in an effective grinding POSI- tion, said billet-clamping and eject arm being effective, when the billet-supporting arm is restored to its normal position, to engage the billet which has been raised above the level of the billet-receiving slot and discharge the billet from the manipulating unit, and means for selectively actuating said billet-supporting and billetclamp'ing and eject arms, said means comprising a cylinder and plunger device for each arm, each device having one end pivotally connected to its respective arm at a point medially of its ends and having its other end pivoted to the casing at a point below the level of said billet-receiving slot. 

1. A billet-manipulating unit adapted, in combination with similar units, to remove the leading billet from a horizontal stack of elongated billets which advance progressively across a charge table and are generally square in cross section in order to impart progressive increments of rotational movement to said leading billet for selective presentation of the sides of the billet to a grinding wheel positioned above the unit, said unit comprising a casing having a pair of spaced apart side walls defining therebetween a relatively deep narrow pocket, the upper edges of said side walls being notched to provide a billetreceiving slot, a normally horizontal linearly straight billet transfer arm disposed exteriorly of the casing, having its proximate end pivoted for swinging movement to one of said side walls of the casing and normally underlying said leading billet in the stack, a linearly straight billet-supporting arm having a longitudinally extending slot therein, disposed within said casing and pivoted at its proximate end to the casing at a region adjacent to the upper portion of said billet-receiving slot for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, and a linearly straight billet-clamping and eject arm disposed within said casing and pivoted at its proximate end to the casing at a region below the lower portion of said billet-receiving slot for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, said last-mentioned arm projecting through the slot in the billet-supporting arm, said transfer arm being operable when actuated to engage and raise said leading billet from the charge table and, by a sliding action, to deposit the same in said billet-receiving slot, said billet-supporting arm being provided with a protuberance at its distal end and being operable when actuated to engage and raise the billet from said billet-receiving slot and move the same into a grinding position above the level of said slot, said billetclamping and eject arm being operable when actuated to engage the thus raised billet and, in combination with said billetsupporting arm, to clamp the billet against said protuberance in an effective grinding position, said billet-clamping and eject arm being effective, when the billet-supporting arm is restored to its normal position, to engage the billet which has been raised above the level of the billet-receiving slot and to discharge the same from the manipulating unit, and means for selectively actuating said billet transfer arm, said billetsupporting arm and said billet-clamping and eject arm, said means comprising a cylinder and plunger device for each arm, each device having one end pivotally connected to its respective arm at a point medially of its ends and having its other end pivoted to the casing at a point below the level of said billet-receiving slot.
 2. A billet-manipulating unit adapted, in combination with similar units, to impart pRogressive increments of rotational movement to a billet of generally square cross section for selective presentation of the sides of the billet to a grinding wheel positioned above the unit, said unit comprising a casing having a pair of spaced apart side walls defining therebetween a relatively deep narrow pocket, the upper edges of said side walls being notched to provide a billet-receiving slot, a linearly straight billet-supporting arm having a longitudinally extending slot therein, disposed within said casing and pivoted at its proximate end to the casing at a region adjacent to the upper portion of said slot for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, and a linearly straight billet-clamping and eject arm disposed within the casing and pivoted at its proximate end to the casing at a region adjacent to the lower position of the slot for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, said last-mentioned arm projecting through the slot in the billet-supporting arm, said billet-supporting arm being provided with a protuberance at its distal end and being operable when actuated to engage and raise a billet which has been placed in said billet-receiving slot to a grinding position above the level of said slot, said billet-clamping and eject arm being operable when actuated to engage the thus raised billet and, in combination with said billet-supporting arm, to clamp the billet against said protuberance in an effective grinding position, said billet-clamping and eject arm being effective, when the billet-supporting arm is restored to its normal position, to engage the billet which has been raised above the level of the billet-receiving slot and discharge the billet from the manipulating unit, and means for selectively actuating said billet-supporting and billet-clamping and eject arms, said means comprising a cylinder and plunger device for each arm, each device having one end pivotally connected to its respective arm at a point medially of its ends and having its other end pivoted to the casing at a point below the level of said billet-receiving slot. 